China must take “excessive” counter-measures after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s controversial war shrine visit, state-run media urged on Friday, reflecting the smouldering resentment among Chinese at its onetime invader.

China expressed its opposition and summoned Tokyo’s ambassador on Thursday to deliver a “strong reprimand” after Abe paid respects at the Yasukuni shrine.

The site honours several high-level officials executed for war crimes after the second world war, a reminder of Japan’s 20th century aggression and a source of bitterness for China and other Asian countries.

“People are getting tired of such futile ‘strong condemnations’,” said an editorial in the Global Times, a paper close to the ruling Communist Party that often strikes a nationalist tone.

“China needs to take appropriate, even slightly excessive countermeasures” or else “be seen as a ‘paper tiger’”, it warned.

“In the eyes of China, Abe, behaving like a political villain, is much like the terrorists and fascists on the commonly seen blacklists.”

Global Times

It suggested barring high-profile Japanese politicians and other officials who went to the shrine from visiting China for five years.

Abe’s visit was the first by an incumbent Japanese prime minister to the inflammatory site since 2006, and came as tensions between the two Asian powers have escalated since last year over a territorial dispute in the East China Sea.

State-run media also excoriated Abe, who has sought to shore up Japan’s military.

“In the eyes of China, Abe, behaving like a political villain, is much like the terrorists and fascists on the commonly seen blacklists,” the Global Times said.

The China Daily called the visit “an intolerable insult” that had “slammed the door to dialogue shut”, adding that “Abe knew it would be an insult. But he does not care”.

It criticised the leader’s “sheer hypocrisy” and “nasty track record”, including “his denial of the aggressive nature of Japanese intrusions during WWII, his lack of remorse for Japan’s historical sins”.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Abe’s visit “a flagrant provocation against international justice and treads arbitrarily on humanity’s conscience”, a ministry statement said on Thursday.

China and Japan, the world’s second- and third-largest economies, have important trading ties.

But conflict over the East China Sea islands known as the Diaoyus in China and the Senkakus in Japan have soured diplomatic relations since last year.

The controversial visit has been widely condemned around the world.

South Korea's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo Jin-ryong, called it a deplorable and anachronistic act that damaged ties between the two countries and summoned a top Japanese diplomat in Seoul to protest. He added: "We cannot withhold regret and anger over the visit."

China and South Korea have repeatedly expressed anger in the past over Japanese politicians’ visits to Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals by an Allied tribunal after World War Two are honoured along with those who died in battle.

The two countries have been especially touchy about visits to the shrine by serving Japanese prime ministers, and Abe is the first leader in office to pay homage at Yasukuni in the past seven years.

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo issued a statement saying Japan’s leadership had “taken an action that will exacerbate tensions” with neighbours.

mercedes2233
When we talking about foreign relationship, especially between the countries like Japan and China, a responsible citizen will think more about the duties of each country and how we going to fix the problems instead of what Japan and China can do to continue this confrontation.If both want to remain competitive in future, a strong relationship between them is crucial. Europe can get it done, why can't Asia?

and answering what diplomatic tone I referred to, it is the standard tone China used domestically and in foreign affair. For this reason, even when China doesn't want to be tough, when it translate into English, it can sound very unprofessional. This is a not a isolated case.

@mercedes2233
No one's mixing anything. Celebrating Mao Zedong whilst condemning the Japanese, no greater hypocrisy exists in the world today. Mao Zedong, who even personally thanked the Japanese for their invasion of China since it helped his cause.

Why are we talking of Mao rather than Abe? Mao has existed, and you are going to bring up him as a excuse for every nation behaving badly? "US has been an aggressor in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq etc., and killed millions, but never mind, Mao was worse, so the US is forgiven"? "Cambodia had killed millions in the Killing Fields. But it's OK. Mao was worse."? It is OK for Japan to kill and plunder China, since Mao later on did worse"? How is this argument valid? You mean because China had Mao, it can't complain about anything? Germany had Hitler too. So the Germans should forever hate themselves?
Now, let's hear your views on Abe.

So the JPs should be forgiven because they caused less death than what Mao did.. is that the logic? Mao didnt murder or massacre ppl on purpose!!! Yes, we chinese hate Mao as much but it doesnt make crimes that the JPs committed any less evil.. and the JPs never bother to apologize like Germany did What if ppl like Angela M of Germany did the same to ppl like Himmler, Hitler etc? hell would break loose my fren!!!!

Facts please. Is China receiving 'aid and money' from Japan apart from buying Chinese goods and services? If you can't substantiate this, what does this claim make you?
You want China to also act 'tough' and go to war?

how about korea, Singapore, Malaysia.........and other countries that has suffered as well...do you think we are not aware of what japan has done ? somethings don't just walk away ....
we are tired of japan continuous deny and perceived arrogance, it is really up to japan to face the truth and swallow their pride and just admit and get it over and done.